Karma
by LightMyBulb
Summary: Kanda, Lavi, and "Reed", three boys of different backgrounds, are all having weird "attacks" where they feel intense pain and see memories that aren't their own. Innocence? Exorcists? What does it mean? And what is Bookman's Academy For the Gifted? Modern Day Semi-AU No OC's
1. Chapter 1

_**Important AN at the bottom. Please read it!**_

* * *

An exasperated sigh was released. It came from the man seated across from him, Mr. Takoshima. He was the Principal of the school, though Kanda only knew him as _Strict Old Bastard_.

You see, Kanda sitting in the Principal's office was nothing new. In fact, it was almost expected now, and the secretaries didn't even bother asking what his business here was anymore. Today, Kanda had landed himself in here because of fighting, _yet again._ It was his most common offense, because he just couldn't seem to contain his anger.

"Mr. Kanda," the man breathed in disappointment _as usual. _"This is the third time I've had the _pleasure_ of disciplining you this month. Somehow, I don't think you're learning from the detentions I've given you; in fact, you still haven't attended half of them." _Oh really?_ Kanda thought though he stayed silent through the man's lecture. "You're a good student, Kanda. You have exceptional grades, if only you'd improve your behavior…" the man continued as Kanda zoned out, nodding every minute or two to make it seem like he actually gave a crap.

It wasn't _his_ fault that so many morons surrounded him daily. Frankly, he'd rather rip out the oxygen stealers' throats with his teeth. The school system should be _glad_ he exercises enough self-control not to kill them all.

This time it was the foreign kid. He came from Australia— _all the way to Japan for God knows why_—and Kanda was chosen to be the brat's tour guide, because he was one of the few students at this school that spoke English. Realizing that the majority of his peers couldn't understand a word he said, the kid started spouting off all kinds of insults about every person they passed in the halls. Kanda tried to ignore the annoying white noise of his voice grating on his ears, and was succeeding, until the guy—Let's call him Charlie—until _Charlie_ started saying sick perverted things about the females that walked by, and even went so far as to groping at them as they passed. Now, Kanda couldn't care less about a _guy_ insulting/getting insulted, it's just a despicable thing all guys do, but Kanda held women on a higher pedestal than men and believed they _always_ deserved respect, no matter if they didn't hear the insults, and you _definitely_ don't touch them like that.

He'd had enough.

He grabbed Charlie by the collar and slammed him into the lockers screaming at him. The rest of the students scurried away as they always did when Kanda was in a bad mood. "What the hell's your problem, mate?" the kid kept repeating, which only made Kanda angrier, and he eventually raised a fist to the guy's face.

Luckily, for Charlie, a few teachers arrived to break them up, and Kanda was immediately sent to the Office and the kid to the Nurse.

And that was how Kanda landed in this seat—_his seat, as the secretaries had dubbed it_—listening to the Principal rant and rave over his behavior.

"…therefore you're being suspended. Gather your things and go home. You will not return for another week." _Yeah, _Kanda thought sarcastically, _that'll teach me._

Despite Kanda's personal thoughts, the Principal gave him a pretty a light punishment considering his constant violence and general distaste for authority. Nevertheless, he gathered his junk and walked home, not really caring about the trouble he was in.

When he walked through his front door he could hear his mother in the kitchen. Today was her day off, and it was about lunchtime. At the sound of the front door shutting, she poked her head through the kitchen doorway. Upon seeing her son home hours early, she deduced that he'd gotten in trouble at school and gotten sent home _again._

"How long this time?" she asked him as she prepared some noodles.

"A week." He answered concisely as he threw his backpack to the ground and got comfortable on the couch. She sighed.

"Yu, you really need to stop this," Kanda inwardly cringed at the use of his first name but didn't cause a fuss about it like he would to anyone else, because it was his mother. And she had him wrapped around her finger. "How are you going to graduate like this? At this rate you'll have to repeat a grade for all the school you've missed."

"I know…"

"You should try meditating more with me. It might help your anger problems."

"Uh huh…" he affirmed in a monotone.

"Now…" she started off sweetly as she walked to him with a bowl of finished noodles one hand and chop sticks in the other, "Go clean the kitchen!" she finished in a deep command. Kanda immediately hopped from his spot to do as he was told. She proceeded to plop down in the exact place Kanda himself had occupied previously.

This was the closest thing to a punishment Kanda received when he got in trouble. He was assigned countless chores while his mother lounged around and watched. With anyone else, he would've declined and proceeded to kick their ass, but this was a woman, and not just any woman. This was his _mother, _the one who'd helped create this highly regarded, respecting opinion of women. He loved her to pieces and would do anything for her, and she knew it and adored it. Though sometimes, like now, she used his loyalty to her advantage.

As his mother lounged comfortably, eating her meal and watching her son do housework, she got to thinking. Kanda's behavior has seemed to have been getting worse and worse lately. You could even see the change physically now. He was always exhausted, it seemed, and he now had constant bags under his eyes that worried her; he didn't eat as much as usual either. She figured (hoped) it was just the angry stress he'd built up affecting him and not something worse. She knew no punishments he was given would change his anger. He'd always been this way. Though the school counselors tried to pin his behavior upon the fact that his father wasn't around, she knew that wasn't the case. Yu was Yu, an ill-tempered, independent young man who needed to learn a thing or two on self-control. She knew she wouldn't be able to get through to him, despite probably being the closest to him out of anyone. What she had to do was find someone who_ could_ get through to him. _It will certainly be a chore, _she thought, exhausted by the mere thought of it.

Then, she received a phone call.

When Kanda was done with the housework he went to his room and stayed there for the rest of the day, probably glaring at the wall the entire time and enjoying every second of it.

Soon, night came along, and Kanda found himself drifting off to sleep despite his best efforts to stay awake.

Every night, for the past week, Kanda had the most terrible nightmares of his life.

The dreams themselves were fuzzy and vague, but what he always remembered was oh-so-real pain he'd felt every time. It felt like his body was being ripped apart and then snapped back together on its own. Muscle and tendons would separate, bones would break, and organs and blood would be spilled on the ground. And then, it reversed. His bones snapped back together, good as new, and his entire body would repair itself. During the whole process, in the dream, he noticed he'd been screaming in pain the whole time, and when he finally stopped he heard another voice. They were also in pain, probably going through something similar to him.

It hurt.

Oh _God_, did it hurt.

His most recent attempt at sleep ended up the same way, and after the pain he found himself panting, staring up above whatever flat surface he was laying on.

_An operating table_, something in his mind answered him.

There were blurred figures above him, moving around quickly.

_The doctors_, he heard again.

_Was I in surgery?_ He vaguely wondered though his clouded mind. _Awake…?_

Then he woke up. As per usual, he was sweating like a pig, and the left side of his chest burned like a cattle prod. His breaths came in deep pants, and he struggled to regain his breath. That had been the most lucid dream he'd had yet. The dreams coupled with the terrible pain always a crippling feeling in their wake.

As much as he hated to admit it, even if only to himself, he was scared.

_What is going on…?_

* * *

"Robert Bookman," a proud, booming voice screamed, the sound echoing painfully in Lavi's ears.

But it was no scream; it was only a soft call over a microphone, though Lavi's oncoming migraine seemed to amplify every sound to an agonizing degree. He sluggishly stood from his chair, not looking at the ground nor the too-bright sky, and trudged from the second row, where he'd been seated, to the stage. Through the pain he had a fleeting annoyance. _They just _had_ to say my first name…_ Climbing up the steps, he smiled and pretended that his brain _wasn't_ melting into goop, that his world _wasn't_ slowly turning on its head.

Shaking the hand of his principal and gripping his diploma firmly in his hand, Lavi exited the stage as mild claps were heard from the audience, the sound killing his eardrums. He left immediately after and quickly made his way home, trying not to stagger into the street as his headache intensified. As soon as he made it to his room he plopped face down onto his bed, not caring to change out of his graduation gown, and clenched his eyes shut wishing for the pain to be relieved.

It had started a month ago. He already knew what was happening though, for his great grandfather had told him long ago.

His (great) gramps was a small, stern Chinese man who dressed in traditional Asian attire, which made him stand out quite a bit in California. Not that the old man cared though; he was an enigma, a seemingly emotionless being who simply stood off to the side and watched others be. There was an air of mystery constantly surrounding the man, and there were so many questions that Lavi wanted to ask him, but he never did. He figured it wasn't his place.

Gramps was a famous best-selling author known only by the name Bookman, and he requested to be called as such every time he met someone. Even Lavi had to call him Bookman; if he was caught saying Grandpa or anything of the sort he got a swift chop to the top of his head. He still doesn't know how the little man managed to reach that high…

Bookman had taken Lavi in as his legal guardian years ago. Lavi's parents had been rather busy business people and were always taking business trips. One day, as his parents were on their way to France by plane, some kind of blunt force seemed to have hit the plane and it ended up nose-diving straight into the Atlantic Ocean.

There were no survivors.

At least, that's what was determined. No one was in the plane when it was fished out of the ocean, as if they'd just dissolved, disappeared, though there was blood on some of the seats.

That had been when Lavi was 9 years old, 8 – almost 9 – years ago. Then Bookman was named as his legal guardian, and Lavi moved in with him. Not much had really changed though. Lavi had already practically been living with him anyway, what with his parents' constant absence.

Not long after the first anniversary of his parents' tragic deaths, Bookman asked to talk with Lavi in private where he told him the craziest story Lavi had ever heard.

"…I assume you know of the Buddhist belief of reincarnation…?" Lavi nodded.

"Yes," he answered, "Reincarnation is basically the concept of the soul being reborn into another body, typically human, animal or spirit, after its previous death depending on the previous life's actions." Was it ever mentioned that Lavi was a genius? Not only had he been partially raised by a human Wikipedia, but Lavi also had a photographic memory. Basically, he was an information machine and definitely the smartest 10-year-old that anyone had ever met.

"Correct. This situation is similar –" _Wait. This situation? Where is he going with this…? _He'd thought. " – in the fact that _we_ are reincarnations of people from long ago, though we do not simply share a soul with these people. We _are_ them." Lavi's jaw hit the floor as Bookman continued, "In the 19th century, we were part of a clan known as the _Bookmen." Okay, this is getting freaky,"_ Our roles as Bookmen were simple: We had to record unknown parts of history as unbiased participants and write what we saw. You were my apprentice, and we recorded 48 other wars before the 49th did us in." Bookman took a deep breath and told Lavi of The Black Order.

"The Order was a side in the Holy War, as they called it. A man called the Millennium Earl was on the opposing side. Each used supernatural 'weapons' to fight one another, and it was one of the worst wars we'd seen…" He then explained in depth about a substance the Order used called Innocence, the Accommodators that used them (Bookman and Lavi himself included), and also the Dark Matter, Akuma, and Noah that they fought against.

It was the last battle, he'd said. All of the exorcists were badly wounded fighting the Earl and the Noah, and they were about tied at the moment. Then, a boy named Allen (who'd apparently been a good friend of Lavi's) was able to deal the final blow to the Earl and finally end the horrible war.

But all was not well afterwards. The majority of the Order's members had perished in the final battle, including Lavi, Bookman , Allen, and another friend of his named Kanda. The few who were left behind, still alive, to pick up what was left all died within a few years of the war for various reasons, and the Black Order and the Millennium Earl were no more.

Everything was swell, right? No akuma, no Earl trying to eliminate the human race; all was right with the world, even without the Order and its members.

Not for too long.

Bookman then explained that, for whatever reason, akuma were showing up again. That meant the Earl had somehow come back. He told him of various akuma attacks that had happened within the last decade.

…and that an akuma had hit his parent's plane.

_What? _Some giant mechanical monster had been the cause of his parent's deaths? Lavi couldn't say he'd cared immensely about them, as horrible as that sounded. Then again, his parents had hardly been there throughout his childhood, and they'd only seemed interested in work back then. It did things to a kid.

But no, the biggest shock wasn't that his parents would still be here today had an akuma not been nearby, it was the fact that akuma apparently _existed._ He'd read about them in 200-year-old English texts, but he never thought any truth was hidden in those books.

He didn't know what to think of all of this absurd information being thrown at him. Lavi would've claimed the man telling him this clinically insane and had him carted off had it not been _Bookman. _He was a hard-ass, yes, but he wasn't crazy nor was he stupid. In fact, Bookman was the smartest man he knew, and with no signs insanity emerging before this point, Lavi somehow found himself slowly believing this story.

"…Why… Why are you telling me this…?" his younger self had asked, facing the floor and trembling ever so slightly as he tried to retain this information.

"Because…" he answered, "We need to record," Lavi met his hardened gaze, "…and we need to fight. The Earl has returned and so must the exorcists."

"How are we supposed to fight this guy?!" Lavi exclaimed, "We may have been exorcists in our past lives, but that doesn't mean we are now!"

"Eventually, your memories from your time as an exorcist will start to return. Many of the Order's past members have 'awakened', so to speak, and have already begun building up the order again. My memories returned some time ago, not long after my daughter was born…" He gained a far off look in his kohl-rimmed eyes, as though lost in a memory, but the look disappeared just as quickly as it emerged. "There's no telling how you will awaken, everyone is different, but you'll know when it happens…"

Another year after Lavi had been told of the Order, Bookman brought out a dusty antique mallet and told Lavi it was his old weapon. It had apparently been saved after his death and kept rather good condition considering it that it was 200 years old.

Eventually, Bookman took him to the Order's new facility, where it was under the guise of being a prestigious school. There weren't many exorcists there yet; only seven had been found so far, but two were Generals, the highest rank an exorcist could receive. Lavi also found out that this was where his grandfather's wealth was being spent; Bookman had provided all of the funding necessary to build and maintain the place, and the "school" was even named Bookman's Academy for the Gifted after him.

How the hell did Lavi never hear a word of this top notch school his grandfather apparently owned? Bookman's fans certainly knew, and there were thousands that had attempted to get into the Academy; the key word is _attempted_. Since this place is really a training ground for exorcists it wouldn't be good if a normal person wormed their way in, plus they'd be sorely disappointed at the lack of, well, education, book wise at least. They still gave entrance tests though, and apparently, pieces of raw innocence would be clandestinely kept inside the testing room. Innocence tended to react when an accommodator was found nearby, so if there happened to be an Accommodator taking the test they'd know. The method was effective as it had already brought them 2 exorcists.

From then on Lavi started staying at the Order during summer break and training his body the entire time. His memories still hadn't returned, but Bookman wanted Lavi to hone his fighting skills and be in peak physical condition for when they did.

And that's exactly what was happening now. His memories were returning.

For the past month he'd been getting terrible migraines. It felt as though his brain was being loaded with information and was about to burst. His left eye had also become quite sensitive, too. Just a small amount of light would irritate his eye to the point that he thought about just wearing an eye patch.

During his 'attacks' he saw death, lots and lots of death.

Bookman _had _said they'd seen 49 wars but man, they were brutal…

He also recalled feelings: emptiness, loneliness, and denial closely followed by acceptance and happiness. There was also plenty of fear and uncertainty splashed in between. People flashed by as though they were on film. It went by so fast he could recall little detail about the people he saw: a sad smile, a deathly glare, pitiful cries, emotional eyes, dark hair…

It had all been vague, but it was slowly coming together. Bookman said it wouldn't be too long until he was fully awoken. Until then, he'd just have to deal with the pain.

With his face still buried in his pillow, Lavi reached out and groped for the Ibuprofen sitting on his bedside table. After taking a few pills, he stripped himself of his gown, got under the covers, and fell into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Among the dark, dank, smoky atmosphere of a small bar a piano was heard. The purity of the notes to the tune being played was unexpected yet seemed to brighten up the gloomy place. A few bystanders wandering nearby would hear delightful melody and be drawn into the place, often buying a drink and sitting down to peacefully listen.

The talented player that sat before the ivory keys was but a young boy, dressed in tattered clothes with dirty hair and almost always emitted a slight stench. He appeared periodically and performed on an old dusty piano in the corner of the bar with a small tip jar to his left.

As he finished his last song for the night, the boy stood from the wooden bench he'd sat upon and dug a few dollars and coins out from the tip jar, pleased with the amount he'd made. The plump bartender stood behind the bar cleaning a mug. He waved the boy over with the rag he'd been cleaning with. "Nice job, Reed. How 'bout dinner? On the house of course." Reed wasn't the child's real name, just an alias. The bartender, Mr. Gunther, didn't believe the name either, but he chose not to question it.

Not long ago, Reed had wandered into Gunther's bar merely looking for a cheap meal. The place was open but empty. As he waited for service Reed couldn't help but notice the old piano in the corner of the room. It had been a few years since Reed had played, but when he did it was magical. His school music teacher gave him high regards on his talent and mentioned all the practice it must have taken to get to that level. Needless to say, she had been flabbergasted when Reed told her he'd had no previous piano experience. It was true, though. Reed himself was surprised at the hidden talent. It was like something in his mind clicked as his fingers pressed the keys, like muscle memory, like he'd done this many a time before.

His fingers had itched to play as he stared at the piano. Finally, he'd gotten up and sat before it. Cracking his knuckles a few times, he gently settled his fingers on the keys and played a soft melody he'd heard from somewhere. Eventually, he started changing the song, adding different elements to make the melody his own. He must have gotten really into it, because he didn't even notice the owner behind him until a word of praise was uttered. "My, boy! That was wonderful! Did you compose that yourself?"

To say that Reed had been startled was an understatement. He practically flew off the bench. Though, in the process, his foot got caught somewhere, and he ended up toppling backwards and banging the back of his head on the wooden floor pretty hard.

The man had laughed and helped him up. After more compliments were given and questions were asked the man inquired about Reed stopping by a couple times a week to play a little show. The man offered to pay Reed what he could and even included a free meal to boot.

Reed would've declined, he was a nomad, constantly moving and never staying in one place, but the pang in his stomach changed his mind. He could use some food and some money. The free meal offered each time he played would no doubt be enough to keep him from starving and the money could be saved for other necessities, so that maybe, one day, he could get off the streets and actually become a respectable member of society. It was a bit of a dream, but it was something to look forward to, so he accepted.

That's how this little routine they had got started, and Reed actually didn't mind it. Mr. Gunther was pretty good company: He didn't ask many questions, and if he did ask something Reed was uncomfortable in answering he'd quickly back off. The man knew people needed their secrets, and he never pushed for information. He was probably one of the few people on this planet that Reed could tolerate and act civil with.

They made small talk as Reed ate his dinner, and when that was finished he left. It was raining when he left the bar. _Great. _He hugged his holey, scuffed jacket tighter to himself in some small hope of keeping a little warmer and drier and trudged on through the rain.

This part of town was pretty empty, and what few people were there were hoodlums. Reed faintly acknowledged some poor soul getting mugged in the alley across the street by what looked to be gang members. He merely kept walking without reaching out to help.

It was sad. Reed had gotten so used to the violence and death around here that he hardly reacted when someone was being assaulted. He turned a blind eye to these dark affairs more often than not, having learned his lesson long ago.

It was about 2 or 3 years ago, he estimated. While walking down the street, much like today, he held a scuffle in an alley. When he went to check it out he saw 3 large men had cornered a pretty young woman. It was obvious what they planned to do with her. Reed attempted to break it up and take on the thugs, not even really knowing how to fight. Needless to say, he was outmatched and subdued pretty quickly, taking a stab wound, from a pocket knife that appeared out of nowhere, to the thigh and a mild concussion. As he'd lain there barely conscious the bastards continued what they'd been doing.

It was terrible. From where he'd fallen he could see everything, and it wasn't pretty. _That poor girl. _She screamed and cried as she was violated, but no one came to help, and Reed saw it all. He wanted to puke and cry and kill those despicable fuckers. When they were finished Reed was barely conscious. The girl laid in a heap in the back of the alley with her clothes torn and looking like a complete mess. One of the brutes gave him a swift kick to the chest as they walked by him and Reed swore he must have coughed up blood. Soon after that he'd lost consciousness.

He was extremely confused when he woke up on a comfortable bed in an unfamiliar residence the next morning. Not long after he'd awoken someone entered the room. It was the girl, the one he couldn't help the previous night. He learned her name was Evelyn. It turned out he'd been taken to her house where she'd treated his wounds. Even though he hadn't been much help she thanked him many times for at least attempting. He hadn't stayed long, only a day or two, before he left.

Though it really was much too early for him to be moving around he just couldn't stay there anymore. He couldn't take seeing her smiling face, not after what happened to her, not after what he'd seen. How could she smile like that as though it hadn't happened? It killed him inside, so he took his leave while she slept. He knew he was being a coward, but he didn't care.

After that little experience, he learned to pick his own battles. There were just some things he couldn't help with. Still, even though he avoided street fights like the plague, he'd still gotten mugged multiple times since. Those encounters had helped him a bit with his fighting skills though, so sometimes he was actually able to walk away unharmed.

It was sad that this is what his life had become.

He tried to clear his head of such depressing thoughts as he neared his "home". It was one of the many small alleys scattered around the area with a nice little flattened cardboard box for him to sleep on.

Classy, aint it?

It looked like Heaven to Reed though as his feet suddenly felt heavier with each step. He could tell another "attack" was coming on, and all he wanted to do was collapse on his lovely cardboard bed. Sadly though, the rain had ruined it. He'd have to find a new one later. For now, he settled for curling up in the damp corner as his vision blurred.

This had happened a few times before, and each time scared him more and more.

It would start with a pounding headache mostly residing on the left side of his head, probably because of the burning pain also rooting from his left eye. His mind was attacked with unfamiliar blurred images as though someone else was attempting to take over his mind, and he wanted to scream.

Next would come the alternating burning and numb sensations in his left arm. It would go from a "burning horribly in a fire" pain to a numb nerve damaged feeling where he couldn't lift his arm from his side more than a few inches.

Lastly, the most intense of his attack would come from his chest, where it felt as though it was being ripped open and yanking his heart out. On more than one occasion he was convinced he was having a heart attack, and just when he thought he was done for, the pain would start to ebb.

It was a very dramatic experience that typically lasted for 15 to 45 minutes, and he got more and more scared each time. Reed was afraid he had some kind of disease and that these "little" attacks might kill him one day, and today was no different.

As the pain left him and his mind cleared he pulled himself into the fetal position, whimpering slightly as the rain continued to pour down on him and soak into his filthy clothing.

_What is happening to me?_

* * *

**_Edit:_ _Fixed some small errors that were bothering me; sorry if FFnet acted like this was an update XD_**_  
_

**AN: Look whose alive! :D Welcome to my first -man multi-chapter story! This is also my first semi- AU~ I hope you guys like it! This is the longest chapter for anything that I've written in a while, but don't expect something this long every chapter ^^; This took forever to finish XD I've set a new goal for no less than 2,000 words per chapter though, so anyone whose read my previous multi-chap fic will probably be surprised XD**

**Warnings: Just so you guys know, **_**some**_** characters will be OOC. This is intentional. After all, they are **_**reincarnations**_** of the characters you know and love, therefore they've lived different lives which will ultimately have some effect on their personality. Don't worry though; their basic personalities will stay the same! **

**BTW: There will be no OC's as far as I know; If there are, they will be extremely minor.**

_**Ideas: I really don't have any idea where I'm going with this, so I'd **_**LOVE**_** some ideas about what could happen. You have no idea how helpful that would be!**_

_**Also: See what I did with Reed's name? That is if you figured out who he is~ ;)**_

_I really did put a lot of time and effort into this, so I'd appreciate it if you'd drop a little review!_

_**LightUpMyLife**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Before we get the chapter started, I'd like to thank everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed. Seriously guys, that made my day!**

_**Also, special thanks to the wonderful GreenGreyBlue for her great advice and review. It is greatly appreciated!**_** As always, check the A/N at the bottom. Now on with the chapter~!**

* * *

It was a week later, when Kanda's suspension was up, that his mother started acting very strangely.

That morning, Kanda had donned his school uniform and went to the kitchen in search of breakfast like he did every school day. This time, though, his mother sent him back upstairs to change into his nice clothes. When he tried to question her about it she merely shooed him upstairs. When he came downstairs again, after complying with her request, he found her crouched to the floor in the kitchen scrubbing away at imaginary stains. It was quite a peculiar scene considering the formal clothing she was also wearing. He attempted to speak and was yet again brushed off. She ordered him to tidy up the living room while she finished up the kitchen.

Kanda was so confused. _Is someone coming over? Someone important? _He wondered. She didn't seem to care that he was going to be late for school either. It's not like he _wanted_ to go, but she was the one always harping on him about getting an education.

It was not 10 minutes later that the doorbell rang. His mother jumped slightly, startled at the sound; she'd been skittish all morning. She set down the rag she was cleaning with, smoothed the back of her floral skirt and hurried to the door. Kanda noted a faint _click clack _sound with her every step. She was wearing high heels. _Damn_, he thought, surprised, _this must some occasion…_

When she pulled the door open, an older white man was revealed holding a messenger bag. A sincere smile adorned his wrinkled face, and his eyes lit up behind his round spectacles; his snow white hair looked surprisingly thick for his age and poofed up like he'd just gotten electrocuted.

"You must be Froi Tiedoll." his mother greeted kindly. She opens the door a bit wider as a silent invitation to come in. He takes her offer and steps inside.

"Ms. Kanda? It's a pleasure to meet you." He replied and shook her hand gently. He then turned to Kanda. "And you're Yu I presume?" he asked, holding out his hand to shake. Kanda opened his mouth to give the guy an earful about using his first name, but his practically psychic mother knew what he was about to do and gave him a look that boded terrible things if he continued. Kanda didn't speak, instead choosing to glare at the nuisance as they shook hands.

The guy—Froi—didn't seem put off at all by it. In fact, his smile seemed to grow. Weirdo.

Kanda looked down at their still joined hands, waiting for the man to let go, and he noticed a few odd spots on his hand. Was that… paint? It seemed rather uncharacteristic for a man so well dressed.

"Why don't you take a seat? Sorry the house is such a mess!" his mom apologized. "Would you like anything to drink? We have some Moringa Tea."

"It's quite alright," he replied kindly, taking a seat on the couch, "Let's just talk." The two adults proceeded with small for about 5 minutes before Kanda cleared his throat obnoxiously.

"What is going on here?" he finally voiced. His mother sent him a glare for being so rudely blunt and was about to reprimand him vocally when Tiedoll intervened. He quite literally laughed out loud.

Wiping a few tears from his eyes, Tiedoll stood and patted Kanda's shoulder lightheartedly. "Curious aren't you, Yu?" he stated more than asked, a few giggles still slipping out. Kanda didn't see what was so damn funny about it. He swatted the old man's hand from his shoulder.

"Just answer me already!" he demanded. Tiedoll sat down again and cleared his throat.

"Well, Yu," That bastard's just _trying_ to piss him off, "I'm a representative of Bookman's Academy for the Gifted." He hands Kanda a brochure. "I've heard of your wonderful grades and would like to invite you to attend our school." Kanda looked down at the brochure in his hand with confusion written all over his face. It looked typical of any rich kid school you had ever heard of. It talked of "Excellence" and "Reaching for the Stars" and all that kind of bullshit and featured intelligent looking students in uniforms. He thinks he might've heard of this place before, something about it being "the new Harvard" and that it was nearly impossible to get in.

Kanda didn't have bad grades, but they weren't unusually good. He was by no means an overachiever. That place should be going to the Valedictorian, not him.

"Stop lying."

Tiedoll looked up at Kanda in confusion and maybe even slight panic. "There's no way you guys want me for my grades." Kanda accused, "If anything, you should've heard about my bad behavior. So, what do you really want?" Tiedoll's expression relaxed when Kanda finished, though Kanda didn't know why. The man only grew more suspicious in his eyes.

"It's true that we've heard of your rather uh… deplorable behavior. That's… one of the reasons we'd like to admit you!" Tiedoll answered. Kanda wore a bemused expression. Tiedoll continued, "We have a great disciplinary program that we think would make a real difference. It's worked for many of our other students, and we're sure that it will yield great results with you also!"

"'We', 'we', you keep saying. Who is this 'We'?" Kanda continued his interrogation.

"Well… the school of course," he replied, "More specifically, the principal and us recruiters." Tiedoll turned the pages of the brochure to the back, where it showed the principal of the place, Malcolm C. Rouvelier.

To say the least, the guy's appearance was rather… unsettling. He was the typical picture of a strict dean, but there was something about him that didn't feel right. Brown snake-like eyes stared back at him from the paper, and his mouth was constricted into a frown void of emotion. Above his upper lip rested a fuzz of hair that resembled Hitler's famous 'stache which didn't help the case.

"We love for you to become part of the family, Yu." Tiedoll's idiotic voice broke him out of his thoughts. Kanda grit his teeth in irritation.

"Hell no!" he exclaimed. "Go back to your "school". I don't want any part of it." His mother looked appalled. She smacked him pretty good on the back of his head.

"What do you mean "Hell no!"?!" she scolded. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime! You'll never get a chance like this again, and if you turn it down you'll regret for sure!" Kanda was surprised at her outburst. He didn't really know what to say and felt a bit awkward. She sighed and visibly calmed a bit. "As it is now your life will go nowhere. Best case scenario, you're able to graduate high school without getting thrown out, and then what will you do? Keep your old mom company for the rest of her life?" she smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "You can do great things, Yu, and this is the gateway to that. Please, don't take this for granted."

Kanda didn't know what to think. Every warning sign in his mind went off at the thought of this place; there was definitely something fishy about it. Yet his mom was adamant about him going. And Kanda, being the Momma's boy man he is can't simply disregard her feelings in it.

Damn his compassion.

"…fine." He grunted out, hating himself for it.

"Really?" she exclaimed, eyes lit up. He sighed.

"Yes… I'll go to the God damn school…"

"Oh Yu, this is great!" she exclaimed and gave him a big bear hug that practically squeezed the life out of him. He heard sniffling to his right.

"What a beautiful family moment!" Tiedoll cried, literal tears running down his cheeks and—what the hell? He had a freakin' sketch pad and charcoal on his lap with a rough sketch of Kanda and his mother already drawn out. "I'm so happy you accepted Yu-kun*!"

"Hey!" Kanda yelled, pissed beyond all belief. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… "Don't call me that!" He proceeded to raise his right foot and kick the old man off the couch. Hopefully the geezer would break a hip or something.

Kanda didn't much care anymore anyway. They got what they wanted, so all of his fucks went flying out the window.

* * *

"Wake up, idiot."

Lavi awoke to those words on the ground with a peculiar headache. Oh, wait, Gramps musta' slapped him awake. It happened quite often; Lavi was a heavy sleeper and, needless to say, Bookman didn't seem to have much in the way of patience.

"Dammit, Panda!" he yelled, rubbing his aching noggin, "I've already had enough of a headache lately without you hitting me all the time!" Bookman responded a karate chop to Lavi's forehead. He was practically asking for it though, so he didn't really complain that time.

"Shut your mouth, lazy bum. I'm not going to go easy on your training just because you feel bad. You're lucky I let you sleep on the train." Bookman scolded. He then turned and stepped off the train without another word, leaving Lavi to scramble for their luggage.

_Psh_, Lavi pouted inwardly, _and he calls me lazy…_

They walked the rest of the way to the Order—_why Panda, why?!_—and finally, really arrived hours later. Lavi was sweaty, exhausted, and about to drop to the ground along with their bags that he was _still_ carrying, while Bookman casually smoked an old Chinese bamboo pipe.

The new Black Order was a gigantic building; gigantic was an understatement actually. It was more of a castle with about 8 floors that he could count and made of stone. 3 Large, intricate stained glass windows, like at church, stood proudly on the front of the building. _Is this supposed to be a catholic school? _

They stepped inside the fancy front doors and walked up to the front desk.

"Ah, Bookman, Lavi! I see you guys are back for the summer again?" the female secretary, Laura, asked amiably. She'd been in the Science Division at the Order all those years ago and had only arrived at the academy a few years prior with Reever, another scientist.

"Yep!" Lavi replied cheerfully. He leaned over Laura's desk seductively. "How's my favorite secretary been?" he asked alluringly. "It seems you've gotten even more beautiful since last year…" She smirked and leaned towards him, purposely resting her chest on her arms, therefore showing more cleavage from her pastel V-neck shirt.

"You're not so bad looking yourself," she purred. "Have you gotten taller?" They both leaned closer and closer to the other until only an inch remained between them. The stared into each other's eyes, their facial expressions unchanging. Bookman was still there, growing more and more impatient with every moment.

Just as Bookman was about to take his fist to the hormonal teenager's face, Laura's right hand creeped up and flicked Lavi on the nose, effectively break their staring contest. They both burst out laughing and they pulled away.

You see, this back and forth flirting was sort of a "tradition" between them. When Laura first started working at the Order a few years ago, when she met Lavi, he immediately started flirting with her. She'd decided to humor him a little at the time, and then she flat out turned him down. He was cute, but a little too young for her. Lavi, being the player he is and used to rejection, brushed it off and laughed. Ever since then, they'd always play their little fake seduction game if only to amuse themselves and earn stares.

Laura leaned back to sit normally in her desk chair and pulled her shirt collar back up. "I take you guys are still in the same room?" she asked. Bookman nodded, and she typed a few things on her computer in response. Opening the desk drawer to her left, Laura pulled out two keys and handed one to each man; they were the keys to their dorm. As Lavi gathered their luggage to start towards the room Laura winked and blew a kiss at him. She giggled as Lavi ran backwards as though attempting to catch a football and leaped with his hands in the air and seized the kiss as they exited.

Lavi dumped their bags on the floor of their large room when they entered and plopped onto his claimed bed. The room itself was very plush and large, as expected for the owner of the Academy. The walls were a dark charcoal and the two Queen sized beds, as well as the rest of the room, had a main color scheme of red and black.

As Bookman unpacked his own items Lavi dozed off. He was awakened, predictably, in a rude manner. When he cracked open his emerald orbs he noticed everything was upside down including the bitter old man standing in front of him. Lavi had half fallen off the bed with his torso nearing the floor.

"You're tired?" Bookman asked, with what Lavi almost thought was sincere concern before he remembered that this was _Bookman._

"Well, I _was_ the one carrying the luggage all those miles. I'm exhausted." He replied. Bookman snorted.

"What's this? A youngling gets tired before an old man? I haven't even broken a sweat." Bookman taunted.

"Well you're right about being an old man, you geezer. Where's your walking stick? Did ya' leave it at the old folks' home?" Lavi shot back. Bookman's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Hm. Since you seem to be so tired, why don't you just stay in that position? That way the blood can rush back to your _head _and help you stay awake." The tips of Lavi's ears turned pink at the implication and he pouted, his head already starting to ache from being in this position. He shifted a bit. "Ah, ah, ah." Bookman shook his bony finger. "You stay there for 15 minutes or else I'll kick your ass, ingrate." He hopped onto a chair across from Lavi and grabbed a pen and paper, starting to write something. "You should begin your summer reading while you're at it."

Lavi looked to his left where a couple stacks of about 10 different thick books were stacked an arm's length away. _Seriously? _He huffed but grabbed a hardback anyway, proceeding to read upside down.

Exactly 15 minutes later Lavi slid off the bed, extremely dizzy and feeling sick. Bookman stood above him. "Come along." He ordered. "It's time to begin your training." The suffering redhead groaned loudly, but followed the old man, having to direct himself with the wall so he wouldn't fall.

And so it begins.

* * *

Reed was awoken the next day by a wet feeling sliding down his face. He cracked open one dull, gray eye in response, still groggy. His vision was met with brown and white fur. His eyes immediately opened fully, and he quickly scooted himself backward a few feet until his back hit the end of the alleyway to get away from his assailant. Ironically though, when he looked up to see the person he realized it wasn't a person at all.

It was a dog, a beagle to be exact.

It wasn't a puppy, but it didn't look quite large enough to be an adult yet. The dog—one Reed easily confirmed to be a boy—simply sat there staring at him, a long line of drool hanging from its stuck out, panting tongue. Upon seeing the dripping drool Reed immediately slapped a hand to his face, confirming the gross sticky substance to indeed be dog spit. Yuck.

While he was busy rubbing his face like a housewife would a stubborn stain the dog stood on its four paws and took a couple steps toward him, wagging his tail and whining slightly.

"What?" he grumbled. Glaring at the animal he said, "You hungry or somethin'? Well, sorry. As you can see I don't exactly have a feast sitting right here." His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Even the dog was a little startled by it. Damn he was hungry. He sighed, standing up and brushing off his clothing. _I should probably get something to eat…_

Every single time after he'd had an attack Reed would be attacked by clawing hunger as though he'd gone a whole week without nourishment. That's exactly how he felt right now. He exited his "home" and trudged along feeling a bit weak. The sun was up, though it was still a bit dim outside, so it was probably around 8 am. He decided on doughnuts for breakfast since they were fairly cheap and filling, not to mention the bakers often included a few free doughnut holes. He licked his lips in anticipation and he picked up the pace a little.

As his feet moved faster Reed also noticed an increasing pitter-patter behind him. He turned his head and saw the mutt was following him. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and sped up.

The dog copied his speed, though it struggled a bit with its shorter legs. Reed then sped into a full sprint, the dog close behind. He ran and ran, trying to lose the thing and turned corner after corner, not looking back until he arrived at the quaint little doughnut shop. He put his hands on his knees and breathed for a second before looking around. The beagle was nowhere to be seen and Reed was pleased at the notion. He stood up, straightened out his collar as though he were dignified, and walked in. There was a quiet ting that came from the bells hanging above the door as he entered. He was the only customer in the shop.

Reed stood in front of the display and bent over to get a better look at the food. He practically drooled at the sight and his stomach cheered at the thought of getting food in it soon. Moments later an Oriental woman wearing an apron came from the back room and to the cash register.

"What you like to orda'?" she asked with a slight accent. He ended getting a dozen of them and, as he thought, she was even getting a small bag of free doughnut holes. Just as the woman was putting the doughnuts in the box she happened to see over the counter. "Sir." She stated. Reed looked up in question. "There is no dogs allowed inside." She finished. He wore a confused expression before looking down to his right.

That damn dog was there!

_When the hell did he get in?! _He thought as the animal's random presence scared the Bejesus out of him. "Get out!" he fumed as he shoved the animal out the door, the little bells chiming as the door opened and closed again. He stalked back to the counter, paid for the food, and took a seat at a bar seat right in front of the window.

He angrily bit into his doughnut as he thought about the dog, but expression quickly changed to that of content when he tasted the food. His stomach hummed as he savored every bite.

Just as he thought that this day might not be so bad, he heard a familiar annoying whining. Looking down he saw the damn mutt standing right outside the window whimpering at him. Reed huffed and looked away, continuing to satisfy his hunger. The dog's whining only got louder and yet still he was ignored. It then started barking at Reed through the window, which was seriously grating on his nerves. The cashier didn't seem too happy either.

"Get your dog away!" she ordered. "He hurt business!" Reed kept trying to explain that it wasn't his dog, but she would have none of it. He grumbled, gathering what was left of his breakfast, and walked back outside. The pup immediately patted up to him, looking at him expectantly. Reed stared back.

"You think you're getting' food, huh? Well think again; this is _my_ breakfast." He gestured to himself with half a doughnut sticking out of his mouth. "So run along, and find your own." He shooed. He dog was clueless to his words and stayed right there. Reed face palmed.

When he looked back down at the animal it was giving him literal puppy dog eyes. _Crap. _He crossed his arms and looked away stubbornly. A moment later, he sneaked a peek and the pup was still giving him that kicked puppy look, no pun intended. They stared into each other's eyes as though in a staring contest as the tension rose. Reed's willpower was fading as the dog continued staring with its big brown doe eyes and whimpered. He finally broke.

"Dammit!" he muttered as he threw a doughnut at the mutt. The dog happily caught it in its mouth and chomped away at the speed of light. "You happy now?" Reed asked irritated. "Great, now leave me be!" he turned and stomped away, intent on heading to Gunther's bar, which was only a couple blocks away.

When he entered the pub Gunther stood at the counter cleaning a mug.

"Ah, Reed!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting you!" he greeted. Reed nodded in response. Gunther tilted his head in confusion and looked past Reed. "And who's this little guy…?" he pondered.

_Don't tell me… _The Gods did not seem to be on his side, for when he looked behind him that damn animal was there, wagging his tail and looking all innocent.

"Get out of here!"

And repeat.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter wasn't very interesting ^^; It was kinda short, and it ended up being more about establishing their personalities than what I'd planned, but oh well, I still kinda like it~**

**I have to say dog was not planned **_**at all. **_**I just that little idea when I started Reed's part and it became his entire chapter XD**

**I definitely want to draw a scene or two from this chapter. If I do I'll post a link for you guys to see **** Also, feel free to draw something yourself if you like ;D**

**I could also use an image cover *wink wink nudge nudge***

**In other news, I'd like to get in the habit of updating about every two weeks. I'm not sure how that'll go since I really only write on the weekend, but we'll see. If all goes well, the next update should be by 11/18.**

_I've worked hard on this, so I'd really appreciate a review! _

_**LightUpMyWorld**_


End file.
